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THE two remaining Beastie Boys have opened up about the death of band mate Adam Yauch from cancer at the age of 47 earlier this month, saying they feel "numb".

Mike Diamond and Adam Horovitz - who founded the Beastie Boys in New York in 1991 with Yauch - also said they had been recording new music together just months before his shock death.

Speaking to Rolling Stone magazine, Diamond said he always believed Yauch would overcome the throat cancer that was diagnosed three years ago.

"I believed, up to last week, that Adam was somehow coming back. But I wouldn't trade that optimism for anything. Because the other option is no fun."

Fellow rapper Adam Horovitz said he was "totally numb" and overcome with emotion at unexpected times.

"My wife is like, 'I want to make sure you're getting it out.' But then I'm walking the dog and I'll start crying on the street," Horovitz said.

He also spoke fondly about a recording session, instigated by Yauch, just months ago.

"You would get swept up in his excitement and positivity. We recorded a few months ago. It wasn't any different from before.

"We spent more time making fart jokes and ordering food, which was true to form. That's why it always took so long for us to put records out."

Diamond said their last recording session together included plenty of ideas for new tracks.

"Adam instigated it. It could only come from him, in terms of where he was at with treatment. It was stuff we had written or demo-ed, and there were new ideas. He wasn't sure he was able to do vocals. But after a bit, we ended up doing them. And he was fine. It was a way for him to say, 'Yeah, I'm doing it'."

The pair agreed they would keep making music together, but perhaps not under the Beastie Boys moniker.

Diamond: "I can see us making music. I don't know about a band format. But Yauch would genuinely want us to try whatever crazy thing we wanted but never got around to."